This invention relates generally to non-load-bearing curtain walls or wall-paneling systems, and more particularly to an improved wall-paneling or skin system for easy application to an exposed face of an existing wall structure,
The application of decorative panels, skins and coverings to improve or modernize the aesthetics of an old or beat-up wall is well and familiarly known in the art. Wall-paneling systems and/or partition walls which employ upper caps and lower sills of channel-form to support a number of wall panels in side-by-side relation are also well known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,462,208 issued July 17, 1923 to Mayo; 3,017,672 issued Jan. 23, 1962 to Vaughan and 3,300,926 issued Jan. 31, 1967 to Heirich disclose wall constructions and wall-paneling systems which are typical of the prior art, and these patents represent the most pertinent art known to the applicant.
The primary difficulties and expenses encountered in applying decorative and/or functional paneling to an old existing wall stem from dimensional variations in the old wall, out of plumb, unlevel and non-parallel floors and ceilings, etc. Such dimensional variations in the old wall and adjacent floors and ceilings often make it necessary to apply furring strips or planks to the old wall surface and/or leveling shims or strips to the adjacent floor and ceiling surfaces prior to applying wall panels or other decorative skin materials to the old wall. All of this requires considerable labor and greatly increases the expense of paneling and redcorating an old wall.
While channel-form cap and sill members have heretofore been used to contain and hold the upper and lower edge portions of vertical wall boards and panels, such cap and sill members or channels have usually been attached to the ceiling and floor adjacent the wall to be covered, rather than to the wall itself. As will be readily understood, the floors and ceilings of older buildings are seldom level or truly parallel to one another. Thus, when channel-form cap and sill strips are attached to the ceiling and floor of a room, it is usually necessary to either cut the panels or wall boards to different lengths, or install leveling blocks or shims between the strips and the adjoining ceiling or floor to insure that the ceiling-attached cap strip is parallel to and uniformly spaced above the associated floor-attached, sill strip. Also, the use of floor and ceiling-attached channel strips to frame the upper and lower edges of wall paneling makes it necessary to either preassemble the wall paneling within the cap and sill frame channels prior to securing the frame channels to the ceiling and floor, or attach removable side plates or strips to the cap or sill frame member to retain the panels therein. All of this greatly increases the labor and expense attendant to the erection or installation of a neat and attractive curtain or panel wall.